Improved submarine safety mouth-piece



UNITED STATES PATENT Tries,

JAMES HANKNS, OF BRADDOGKS FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

lMFPtOVED SUBMARINE SAFETY MOUTH-PIECE,

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46,962, dated March 21, 1865.

To all lwhom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES Hawkins, of Braddocks Field, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Submarine 'Safety Apparatus; and I do hereby declare invention, showing its application to the face of a person under water. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central section of the same, detachedand in a larger scale than the previous figure.

Similar letters of reference indicate' corre- I sponding parts. Y

This invention relates to the application of air exhaust and supply valves, in combination with a mouthpiece fitted to a mask which is .applied to the face of the diver, and with two pipes leading to the surface of the water in such a manner that the inhaling and the e'X- halin g of the breath is regulated and the diver is supplied with the requisite quantity of pure air to enable him to live under water for any desired length of time. i

A represents a T-shaped pipe, the middle arm, a, of which forms the mouth-piece, while its two lateral arms I) b connect by means of socketsc c' with exible tubes d d', as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. Said tubes are made of g'utta-percha or other similar material impervious to water, and they are intended to form a communcation between the mouth of the diver and the open air. The

passage of the air from or tothe mouth and i to or from the tubesr d d is regulated by two valves, e c', one of which opens out and the other inward. The Aspent air which escapes from the mouth in exhaling passes od through the valve e and tube d, and in inhaling the valve e closes, and the requisite quantity of air is drawn in through the tube d and valve c.

The Tshaped piece A is intended to 'be secured to a mask of glass or other transparent material, which is secured to the face of the diver, as indicated 'in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the ilcxible tubes d d extend npand are held above the water-line by a 'iioat of any desirable form or shape. Said tubes are to be made vwith suitable joints, so that they can be lengthened or shortened to suit the depth to which the diver descends. rlhe mask must be made so Athat it will tit water-tight to the face,

and it may be provided by some elastic band or fastening, so that it can be readily drawn over the head.

By means of this device, when the same is properly fastened and rigged up, a diver is' enabled to go to a considerable depth below the surface of the Water, and to stay and work there for a long time without inconvenience from the want of fresh air.

I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent- The T-shaped piece A, provided with a mouth-piece, a., flexible tubes d d', and valves e e', and applied to the face of a diver, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

' JAMES AHAWKIN S.

itnesses:

JAMES MCOLEARY, G. H. YOUNG. 

